Complete Diet & Nutrition Guide for your Feline Friend
A healthy cat is a happy cat. And while cats are generally pretty good at looking after themselves, they do need their owners to provide them with a balanced and nutritional diet.
If you’re feeding your cat food that isn’t giving them the right balance of nutrients, it can cause a number of health issues including stunted growth, dull coats and lethargy.
Cats are carnivores, which mean their diet consists mainly of meat. For cats to maintain their health, they need amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and water in their meals.
Many pet owners make the mistake of feeding their cat dry food only. This food contains all the nutrients they need; however, they also need moisture in their meal to avoid dehydration.
However, as beneficial as nutrition is for cats, it can sometimes be a challenge to determine what’s best for your cat. That’s because there are many factors involved – age, size and activity level of the cat for example.
Cat Food Basics
A cat’s diet must be balanced, complete and contain all the essential nutrients. It should not contain any excess of nutrients. If a cat's food is too low in any nutrient, this can cause problems such as poor coat condition, stunted growth, low resistance to disease etc.
Dry food is the most popular choice among cat owners because it is convenient and easy to store. But is dry cat food good for cats? Yes, if it contains the right amount of nutrients that a cat needs. However, it should not be the only source of nutrition that your cat gets.
One of the main advantages of dry cat food is that it helps in reducing dental problems in cats. Dry cat food helps keep the teeth clean. This is because when your pet chews on the dry food, it scrapes off tartar from their teeth and also keeps their gums healthy.
Wet cat food is high in water content and contains a high concentration of protein, fatty acids, and other nutrients. Wet cat food has a distinct taste that your cats will surely love.
This kind of food is recommended for kittens because it is easier to digest than dry kibble and provides the cat with all the necessary proteins to grow. Wet food is normally high in protein and low in carbohydrates. It also contains taurine which is essential for cats because they cannot produce it themselves.
Homemade/Natural Cat Food
The key to your cat’s health is a balanced diet. A homemade cat food recipe that you make on your own is not always the best option. The best reason for making homemade cat food is because it contains fresh ingredients that aren't processed.
Many commercial foods contain preservatives and additives that can affect your pet's health in the long term. There is also evidence to suggest that cats should not eat grain-based foods. Cats do not need carbohydrates in their diets as they get all the energy they need from protein.
Feeding your Cat
Cats are obligate carnivores which means that they must have a diet rich in protein. They should get at least 30% of their calories from protein. Cats can handle a diet with small amounts of carbohydrates, but they don’t need them. As obligate carnivores, cats lack the metabolic pathways to fully digest and use plant material efficiently.
How Much Dry Food should a Cat have Daily
A bag of dry food can last a while if you have a small cat. You can feed your cat based on the feeding guidelines provided by the manufacturer. This is usually given in grams or ounces. It depends on your cat’s weight and age.
If you’ve just brought home a kitten, you can start by feeding them only three times a day (morning, noon, and evening).
You can reduce the number of meals once your kitty grows older. Adult cats usually eat twice or thrice every day. If you feed your cat a dry food diet, it’s important to choose high quality foods that are low in carbs and high in protein.
How Much Wet Food should a Cat have Daily
The first thing that needs to be established is how much food your cat requires. The amount depends on the age, weight, body size and metabolism of your cat.
A 3-pound (1.5 kg) cat needs about 6 ounces (175 g) of canned food. A 5-pound (2.5 kg) cat needs about 9 ounces (255 g) of canned food. A 10-pound (4.5 kg) cat needs about 14 ounces (400 g) of canned food.
How Many Times a Cat should Eat in a Day
Some believe that cats naturally eat only once a day and should be fed just one meal a day. Others believe that cats should be fed four meals per day.
Though some veterinarians support once-a-day feeding, most agree that more frequent feedings are best for your adult cat.
The average cat needs to eat around two percent of their body weight each day. Some cats are more active than others and burn off more calories, so they need to eat more food to make up for it.
The amount of food needed will depend on the weight, age and activity level of the cat:
- Kittens (6-8 weeks old): 5 times a day
- Kittens (8-12 weeks old): 4 times a day
- Kittens (3-6 months old): 3 times a day
- Young adult cats(6 months-2 years): 2 times a day
- Adult cats: 1 or 2 times a day
Is it Okay to give Cat Treats to Pet Cats
Cat treats are a great way to reward your cats for good behavior and to strengthen the bond between you and your cat. They are also a good way to handle behavioral problems in cats.
Cat treats can be used as both rewards and training tools which help in establishing healthy habits in your cat. Treats can also ease up stress and boredom especially if your cat is alone at home while everyone else is out. It can also keep them alert and active since they need to chew on it before swallowing it whole.
Cats love different flavors and textures of the treats that come in different shapes, sizes, and flavors like chicken flavor, beef flavor, salmon flavor, tuna flavor and more!
However, cats love eating snacks and treats anytime. If you allow them to get away with this behavior, they will try to manipulate you into giving more food than they need. This can become problematic because snacks aren't always healthy for pets and lead to weight gain which can lead to problems later on in their lives.
What Not to Feed your Cat
As a cat owner, we love to treat our cats by giving them food. However, some foods that we eat contain fats and other harmful ingredients that can cause damage to your cat’s liver. The following list contains just some of the foods that cats should never eat:
- Coffee and Tea: Coffee and tea contain caffeine which has proven to be extremely toxic for cats. Caffeine toxicity can lead to rapid breathing, increased heart rate, tremors and even death in severe cases.
- Raw Meat: Raw meat can contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning. It may also contain parasites such as tapeworms, roundworms, and toxoplasmosis.
- Chocolate: Chocolate contains theobromine which is poisonous to cats. Even small amounts of chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, hyperactivity and seizures. Dark chocolate is particularly dangerous for cats.
- Onions and Garlic: Onions and garlic contain thiosulphate which causes damage to red blood cells in cats leading to anemia. Onions are especially dangerous because even small amounts can be toxic to cats.
- Milk: People generally think that milk is good for cats as milk makes them stronger and healthier. But this is not true! Milk contains lactose (milk sugar) which many adult cats are unable to digest; hence it may cause flatulence, diarrhea or vomiting in them.
- Raw Eggs: Eating raw eggs may lead to biotin deficiency in cats that may result in skin problems like dermatitis, alopecia etc. Biotin deficiency occurs when raw eggs contain avidin (a protein found in egg white).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the nutritional requirements for a cat?
Cats are obligate carnivores, which mean that they rely on nutrients found only in animal products. Cats evolved as hunters that consume prey that contains high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates, and their diet still requires these general proportions today.
What protein should cats eat?
It is recommended that cats eat at least 2 grams of protein a day, preferably from an animal-based source. Eggs and muscle meats are preferable, though organ meats can also be utilized.
Published By: Admin
Published On: 13-April-2022
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